Coach Kill out of hospital, plans to resume work Monday

Blog Post by: Phil Miller

October 14, 2012 - 2:53 PM

Gophers coach Jerry Kill was released from a suburban Minneapolis hospital on Sunday morning, roughly 14 hours after he suffered a minor seizure at TCF Bank Stadium following the Gophers' 21-13 loss to Northwestern.
The seizure was far less severe than the one that occurred in front of fans during a game 13 months ago, defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys said, and Kill was likely to return to work on Monday. The Gophers don't have another practice scheduled until Tuesday, and Kill has never missed a game due to his condition.
"If this had happened 30 minutes later at home, there's no big deal about it," Claeys said, and it may not have even required hospitalization. "But when it happens (at the stadium), you have no choice but to get an ambulance and get him to the hospital."
A statement released by the university said Kill was tested and cleared to return to work. "All tests confirm that he remains in excellent health," Dr. Pat Smith, the Gophers' team physician, said in the statement. "His only concern is his team and his staff, and he is excited to resume his normal coaching duties."
The seizure occurred in Kill's private locker room less than an hour after the game ended, shortly after he finished his normal series of post-game interviews. No players witnessed the seizure, but they were informed via text message of his condition Saturday evening.
"He wishes it wasn't public, because it doesn't affect how we do things, how we prepare. Without a doubt, that's the most frustrating thing to him," Claeys said. "Other people don't have such a public job, but they live with it and do their jobs. It just so happens during the season, it's more public. ... I don't mean to (say) it's all so ho-hum, but there are a lot of people who live with it."
The Gophers, 4-2 but 0-2 in the Big Ten, face Wisconsin in Madison on Saturday.